Pit River Tribe urges Biden to protect Sáttítla in the Medicine Lake Highlands

The Pit River Tribe is urgently calling on President Biden and California's elected leaders to protect their ancestral homelands and spiritual sites in the Medicine Lake Highlands, known as Sáttítla, as a national monument by invoking the Antiquities Act. This news comes on the first day of Native American Heritage Month. 

President Biden has the opportunity to add additional protections for more than 200,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service-managed land in Northern California, about 30 miles from iconic Mount Shasta. Sáttítla and the Medicine Lake Highlands are a spiritual center for the Pit River Tribe and are considered sacred by the Modoc, Shasta, Karuk, and Wintu Tribes, among others. Indigenous people use the area for gathering plant and animal materials for food and making ceremonial items, along with other time-honored traditions. 

"Permanently protecting these sacred lands will not only honor the Pit River Tribe's long-standing efforts, but also will ensure that current and future generations are able to practice their cultural traditions and continue ceremonial practices," said Dan Smuts, Senior Director, Pacific Region, The Wilderness Society. 

Medicine Lake Highlands is threatened by large-scale geothermal energy development, which includes the potential for building power plants, utility lines, and clear-cutting of the forest. The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have issued more than two dozen leases in the area. 

"We cannot risk damaging the area's underground aquifers, water sources, wildlife habitat, and air quality", said Smuts. "We stand with the Tribes calling on President Biden to protect this special place, not only for its cultural significance but its ecological importance as well."

For more information about the call to action, visit: Pit River Nation Marks First Day of Native American Heritage Month By Calling For Swift Action to Protect Ancestral Lands in Northern California

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Contact: Gaby Diaz, Communications Manager - Landscape Connectivity: [email protected] / 720.464.1941